So, day 2 went much smoother although just as busy. I added a slightly bit more protein, black beans on my salad, and didn’t stress so much about preparing and eating EVERYTHING on their list, and it went well. I’ve been having some slight cold symptoms, runny nose and sore throat, but it feels more like detox symptoms than an actual cold coming on. I’ve had it before when I was detoxifing from having the mercury out of my teeth, so I’m just watching it and doing some preventative stuff just in case. I had a slight headache last night but they say that is normal too. Other than that I’m feeling pretty darn good and my attitude is very positive.

Recipes

Today I wanted to share two of the recipes from day 2 because they were so outstanding that I felt they were worth a shout out. If you like vegetables and salads then you will do great on this cleanse.

Love Salad

I have to say I do LOVE salad. When people ask my favorite food, I say “salad!” and have said that since I was in college. My mom always made fresh salad for dinners and I grew to love them and it stayed with me. However, with the business of having kids, working on healing myself, moving, now working part-time and blogging, I think I’ve gotten in a bit of a busy rut with my salads. I tend to do the same thing over and over again. I still love them because the most important ingredient to a salad is really fresh (locally grown if you’ve got them) vegetables and we have plenty of that here in Sequim, Washington. So, I am thrilled to be doing this 10 day reboot of my life from ‘Join the Reboot’ with great new salad recipes to try. And, day 2 has this wonderful carrot-dill salad that I truly enjoyed. Enough that I wanted to share it here with you.

Carrot-Dill Salad, a salad worth sitting alone on the patio watching the sunset and truly enjoying slowly. Can you tell I appreciate a good salad!?

3 cups greens (spinach, arugula, romaine, red leaf, etc.)

Shredded carrot, fennel, radish, cabbage, celery (don’t be afraid to try fennel, it’s quite subtle. I will put more next time. It tastes a bit like black licorice which I don’t care for, but like fennel anyway.)

chopped fresh dill

1/2 avocado

I also added some jicama and cucumber I had leftover from another salad, and black beans for added protein.

Dressing

(The recipe calls for a honey soy dressing but since I’m allergic to soy I used this recipe from Day 1.)

Yes, I’ve never been much of a squash eater and therefore, neither is my family. I don’t know why but I’ve been a bit afraid of preparing it. The unknown I guess. Or maybe just didn’t care for it before. So, here goes, squash on the day 2 recipes. I decided to tackle it instead of being intimidated by it. And, I’m so glad I did. It was delectable. My husband agreed (without the red pepper) that we would eat this over and over again. Here is the recipe with the red pepper but if you do not like spice then take it out. It was actually quite simple to prepare also.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Portobello Mushroom

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Portobello Mushroom and Sage

Joss’ rating, 10 out of 10. Robert’s rating 9 out of 10 due to the red pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim off each end of the squash. Stand the squash upright and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and the seeds and discard. Brush each squash half with olive oil, and then sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. sea salt and black pepper. Arrange cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash until the flesh is tender and the edges are golden brown, approximately 25 – 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the squash halves over and set aside.

I used two Acorn Squash and for four servings. The mushroom mixture is the same amount and fits quite nicely in four squash halves for four people.

Stuffing

While the squash roasts, heat the live oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute 2 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the mushrooms, sage, 1/4 tsp. sea salt and the red pepper flakes if using, and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Fill the roasted squash halves with the mushroom mixture and bake again for another 10 minutes. Devour.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 254 calories, 2 g protein, 2.5 g fiber

I hope some of you try these recipes even if you don’t do the full Reboot. It is fun to try new things and get more variety in your life, even if the process is sometimes slightly anxiety ridden. Smiling. Enjoy.

And don’t forget to do Reiki on your food, or pray at your meals to help your food’s vibration be raised up to meet yours. Another blog on that later.

I am doing a ten day fruit and vegetable fast cutting our all dairy, grains, packaged foods and animal protein to help my body heal. You can read my goals for the fast here on blog #2.

I am following the ten day menu from a nutritionist for the ‘Join the Reboot’ team. I am getting weekly colonics to help my digestive system get back to it’s original healthy ‘just like a new born baby’ form, or close to that. That’s the plan anyway, but we know how plans go. I want my body to be able to digest it’s food and for me to get all the healthy nutrients from the healthier foods I’ll be eating.

Menu, Plan Ahead

V8 Juice for breakfast Day 2. Beets, carrots, celery, tomatoes, parsley, jalapeno, radishes, beet greens. This made enough for me and my husband both to have a full 16 oz glass of juice.

So far the menu is very healthy and delicious. However, if you are planning to start this program, know that it is a whole lot of vegetables and a lot different ones. For instance, they have you use a tiny bit of jicama the first day but not again in the first few days. I never buy hicama and haven’t had it since I was a child. Good to try it again and I do like the crunch it adds to salads. But, I didn’t look at the menus soon enough before starting the cleanse to know this or to alter them so I could buy less veggies. Plus, the goal is to eat a variety. So, I am using the ‘extra’ vegetables in salads along the way and just modifying the diet a bit here and there. But, you will have to buy a ton of vegetables so plan on that expense ahead of time. Lucky for me I have neighbors and students with farms and gardens helping me out. Thank you to my wonderful clients and neighbors helping me out. You know who you are. Having your own garden would really help with this project.

Modify the Plan for YOUR Body

Modify by adding more protein if you need to in the beginning or some healthy whole grains. You can always do the full plan at another time. Work towards what you body can do and stay healthy and successful now.

My doctor has me adding small amounts of healthy protein in the morning and lunch meals for my blood sugar issue. I think because I’m an overachiever and wanted to do the cleanest diet possible, closest to the actual one on the program, I didn’t eat enough protein. I added one egg in the morning and one scoop of the Isagenix vanilla whey protein powder in my mid day juice. Not enough. By about 5pm I was hitting a wall. For me, hitting a wall, usually means emotionally. I get irritated, frustrated and start going on and on about things I’m angry about. This is not a pretty seen and my family usually heads to their respective corners to ignore my tirades and read their books.

First Day Frustrations

Mom frustrations

I was most frustrated by the amounts of food preparation that goes into the meals. I guess I thought it would be a lot more juice, not salads, soups, steamed veggies, baked fruit, etc. The juices are not too bad for prep, but the rest take a great deal of washing, chopping and time. I’m a mom, a wife, a house keeper, and a Reiki Master/Psychic, life is busy. I also tend to be a lazy cook because I don’t like cooking that much. I’m not sure how people who work full time would be able to do all this AND work AND take care of their families. Plan for that too. It is time consuming changing old habits into new ones. I guess people who work would prepare a lot at night to be ready for the next day. I’m usually too tired at night to do this and so I do my prep in the morning. However, by the time I’m done with my prep for a morning fruit menu item ANd a late morning snack, it’s almost lunch time. (Consider they have six meals on the menu plus some snacks.)

Eat All the Veggies You Want

It’s a whole lot of food. They want you to eat almost all your calories in vegetables and feel full the whole time. That part is good, but I ALWAYS FEEL FULL. Most people don’t complain about that when doing a diet but with this one you will. Also, lot of these menu items I have never made before so it’s all new to me. New to me causes anxiety to me. But, I push though and do my best. I have literally spent the entire two days preparing vegetables. I’m not sure what I thought was going to happen, but this is what it is.

Always Hopeful

Now I know as I get used to the diet it will be easier and I’ll figure out short cuts like I do for salad. I make a huge salad on the weekend and what we do not eat I bag up with paper towels in the bag to keep it fresh and soak up the excess moisture. This way, the salad will last up to four days or so. Sometimes I’ll have to re-wash it before hand, but, easy way to have salad ready to go for the work week. These are the kind of tricks I’m learning and will put into place for the next time I do this cleanse. I felt much better emotionally after I had a nice salad for dinner with avocado and sea salt. Yes, I’ve been craving salt. There was actually so much food on the menu, don’t tell, but I skipped the soup and steamed vegetables. I was DONE with vegetables by then and just couldn’t eat another bite. I ended the day with my herbal tea and went to bed.

Suggestions if You Are Starting Your Reboot

Healthy proteins, like hard boiled eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and fish are good to add in the beginning if you are concerned about doing the cleanse the first time from an unhealthy diet or have blood sugar issues.

Other than the five o’ clock tirade, I did very well. My impression is, with this healthy veggie fast, the healthier your diet is going into the plan, the easier it will be on you physically, mentally and emotionally during. I have already spent years cutting out packaged foods, animal protein, simple carbs, sugar and such. I eat at least one large salad every day and lots of other fruits and veggies. If you are starting this Reboot plan for the first time from a place of eating McDonalds regularly then you will probably have a much harder time. Don’t give up, just alter it a bit. I might recommend a modified plan that you can work with your doctor or nutritionist with. Start slow and work towards one of these full on fruit and veggie plans for later. Just a suggestion. The goal is to be healthier and help your body, not to hurt it. If you take on too much too soon, you may be setting yourself up for failure. It’s more important to DO it for long term success than it is to take on more than you can chew, literally.

Please feel free to ask me questions or to lovingly comment if you have suggestions yourself. Love to hear from you!

Third in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.

To read the first and second blog in the series to get caught up click on the link. (Blog 1 or blog 2)

Pre-Cleanse

I have been doing a pre-cleanse to get ready for the full 10 day fruit and veggie cleanse. I got a lot of my pre–cleanse recipes from My Juice Cleanse. It is a great site with free recipes and helpful articles. They helped me with a lot of my early research too. It is recommended to do a pre-cleanse to get the most results from your cleanse that the week before you start the cleanse to do certain things to prepare. Here is what they recommend from the Reboot Your Life website:

The food pyramid I’m working off of but with actually less breads and cereals as my body does not really want them. My body wants it’s carbs from vegetables. Every body is different. Learn to listen to YOUR BODY,

Transitioning off animal proteins: choose wild-caught fish, organic eggs and gradually decrease poultry during the week and choose only organic varieties when you eat them. By last day of the week, your protein should come solely from plant sources such as beans, nuts, and legumes (for example, black beans, hummis, chick-peas, lentils).

Transitioning off dairy: choose only low or non-fat organic dairy with little to no added sugars. If you choose soy, rice or almond milk, have unflavored/plain to limit the sugar content. Choose organic cheese, and transition from cow’s milk cheese to goat cheese by the middle of the week. By the end of the week (day 5) all dairy should be out of your diet to prepare for the Reboot.

This cleanse is fruits and veggies with no dairy, meats, breads or cereals. This Pre-Cleanse gets you ready for the full cleanse and makes the cleanse easier on you emotionally and physically. I feel it working.

My Results of the Pre-Cleanse

I started the full cleanse today. While talking to a friend on the phone about how I’m feeling today, starting the full cleanse, I realized how much progress I’ve made already. Just by doing the pre-cleanse I have altered thought processes that are critical to my success. I’ve started being much more discerning about what I eat FOR MY BODY, not my emotions. When I’m wanting to grab something fast and easy like a cheese stick, I automatically stop, and I start thinking “hmm, if I eat this, I’ll then have to spend time and energy making sure it gets released completely from my body system. (The colonic helped with this too. More on that later.) Do I want this badly enough to do that extra work and to make my body work that hard.” WOW, this is a huge difference from “I’m hungry, I need to eat something quick and easy now.” Or from my typical emotional response, “I need some cheese, or I need some chips and salsa. Nothing else will satisfy me.” Just by doing the pre-cleanse WITH INTENTIONS and GOALS I have started shifting my energy system enough to create major change in my mental thought processes and belief systems. This is huge for me. I’m more concerned about the health of my body than I am making my inner child happy with food.

Energy to Do What I Need to Do

I also noticed yesterday, for the first time in years, I had a full and busy day with a lot of driving to get to my doctor for my colonic and then the kids to their doctors in a whole other city, literally 3 to 4 hours of driving. Usually driving wears me out for the whole day and I’m resting up from it rather than being productive. Yesterday I did all the driving, a colonic for the first time, doctors appointments for my kids, shopping for my cleanse and dinner for my family and I still was going at the end of the day. WOW, for me, chronic fatigue for seventeen years, this was a massive change. THIS gave me a great deal of hope and confidence that this cleanse is truly going to change my life.

The Pre-Work

Meditation, I have found, is THE best way to raise your vibration, work on your emotional patterns, change your subconscious belief systems and connect with your higher self. Plus it’s relative easy to learn, the trick is to DO IT! As with anything, practice makes better!

The pre-work is different from the pre-cleanse. I’ve been doing the pre-work for months now, probably years. I’ve been meditating, doing Reiki, working with Naturopaths and healers to help me get to this point. I’ve worked with hypnotherapists and most recently an MFCC who does Energy Psychology (a mix of Donna Eden’s energy work and Emotional Freedom Technique) to rewrite the beliefs in my subconscious mind. ALL of this has helped me to get ready for TODAY. All of this has helped me to be ready, really ready to give up the belief systems, the dairy and the old eating patterns to the point where I KNOW deep down that I will be successful, for a lifetime.

Real Life Example

For example. With the energy psychology this week we worked on belief patterns that I didn’t believe I could be successful with the cleanse AND be healthy too. This went along with another belief that I had, I believed I needed lots of food and lots of dairy or animal protein in particular in order to stay alive. These were not rational thoughts because my rational mind (10%) does not agree with these thoughts. However, my subconscious mind (90%) does believe them and therefore that is what I follow, knowing it or not. Now I know it, and have worked on it and released it. I did this by tapping on my meridian systems with the EFT process.

I was ill from malnourishment in many lives.

It turns out as I was tapping on these beliefs I was able to watch and see the past lives that these beliefs came from. I had five past lives where I was starving to death but only actually died in one of them. The other lives I just got very ill and was not able to care for my family. My soul held on to the belief that I got sick from not having enough to eat, enough protein. That is how our minds work sometimes. I had to hold on to those beliefs until I could understand them, learn from them and then release them. Now that I have done that, I can truly change. I am changing my eating habits permanently. And that is what it takes to truly reboot your life. It feels good and it feels good to share this with my friends, clients, students and internet readers. I pray this helps to motivate some of you to reboot your life too.

Working on your mind, your subconscious belief pattern are in my opinion, one of the first places to start before you start any diet or healthy new way of eating. Work on those first and the rest will stick.

Got to Be Ready

Don’t rush into it, however. Do the pre-work. Do the research. Do the mind work. DO until you are truly ready to do this for life. These are big changes and I believe people need to be truly ready. I also believe in order to be successful you need to do one major dietary change at a time. If you do more you’ll most likely get overwhelmed and not stick with it for the long haul. These are lifelong changes in eating, not temporary. You have to be ready. But, have no fear. The energy is so strong for change this year that for those waking up, change is happening automatically and faster than usual. THIS is a great time to make major changes like this with Divine Source along with you to help and guide.

I also recommend working with someone like me, or another spiritual support person to guide you and help you along the way with mental thought patterns, emotional addictions, issues of letting go, energy work, etc. I’m not doing this alone, I don’t expect anyone to do it alone. Gather your support team and do the FIRST dietary change YOU feel is more important for you. That is how I have done it and that is how I’ve been able to be successful with each step, including this one. I’m thinking ahead on that one.

This is the second is a series by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki on nutritional healing and juicing.

I am going to reboot my life and my health!

My husband and I watched a movie last month called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” It is a documentary about a man in Australia named Joe Cross who was sick with immune system dysfunction and on all sorts of medication including lots of steroids that caused him to gain a lot of weight. By the end of the 60 day juice cleanse he’d lost all the weight and had gotten off of all the medicine he was on. My husband and I looked at each other and both said “I need to do this!”

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Just Do It

I’ve told you in other posts that I’m a doer. I am. I don’t mess around. If I say I’m going to do something, I do it. I sat my kids down and told them the plan and they support me and even said they’d try some juice. My husband and I have been studying, researching, purchasing and now I’m ready. We’ve bought a juicer and have been practicing for a few days. Next week, I will start the fruit and vegetable juice cleanse. I’ll blog about it as I go in case this situation can help anyone out there who may be reading or may someday read it. Hopefully each time one of us does this, it makes it a little easier for the next people. I know all the information I’ve found from others on websites has helped me a great deal.

This I found very interesting and effective.

Do No Harm

I am working with my Naturopath, Dr. Ruth Urand, my Energy Psychologist Therapist, Melody Williams Romeo and my medical intuitive, Candia Sanders to help me do this cleanse the way my body wants and make sure I don’t harm myself instead of help myself. I’m doing it this way because I too have many medical issues that I have talked about in my first blog on this topic and I have to keep in check. And because it is safer when doing this type of major dietary change. Therefore we are going slow for my particular body.

The Reboot

Joe Cross before, Joe Cross after, hmmmmm, I pick AFTER!!

I’ll be following Joe Cross’ Reboot program for people starting out. I’m planning on the 10 day reboot plan that has recipes for each and every day. On their website they have daily plans that you can print and follow for a 5 day, 10 day, 15 day and other options as well. I am hoping that if I’m doing well my doctor will let me go beyond the 7 days to the full 10 days. I’m doing a week of practice and prep before, a 7 day modified juice cleanse (sorry, not 60 days for me) with juice but also small amounts of healthy protein in the morning to give my body a good base so hopefully I won’t have blood sugar issues. And my doctor also recommended I have colonics, which I was terribly not happy about. I’ve never had one and had never intended to get one. But, she muscle tested me, Candia seconded it and my body wants it. So, I will help my body along with the detoxification process by doing one colonic a week for five weeks. Yuck.

Juicer

Our Omega 8004 juicer. It can make juice, nut butters, pasta, sorbet and much more. I can’t wait to try some of those other fun things it makes.

If you decide to juice, you want to do your research first. There are many great websites to help you out. I will not do the educational part here but will give you some resources along the way if you want to read up. We decided on a mastification juicer that crushes the fruits and veggies because these are supposed to be better at juicing greens, like kale. With a detox juicing plan I’ll be drinking a lot of greens so this is a must. We went with the Omega 8004 because it had great ratings on Amazon, a great price, 15 year warranty and it is very easy to put together and clean. If it’s not easy to clean I won’t use it every day. I’ve been using it for a whole week and so far LOVE it! So easy, even the kids have been juicing.

Omega 8004

That’s where I’m at, I’ll be blogging more about this for the next few weeks to let you know how it’s going and what it’s like. Maybe you will decide that juicing can help you with your medical issues as well and give it a try.

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Here are my goals for the cleanse:

Drink more fruits and veggies.

Get a lot more fruits and veggies into my system daily to create new eating habits.

Detox my bowels and liver to help my body heal itself.

Give up dairy once and for all.

Cleanse and let go of old belief systems about food, such as, I need animal protein to survive.

Let go of the belief that I need extra weight in order to be healthy and safe (past life stuff).

Be healthy OFF of most or all of the natural medications I’m currently on.

Raise my vibration to the next highest level I’m ready for.

Create a spiritual and loving space within which to complete these goals.

Eat more fruits and veggies for the LOVE of your body and soul.

Bringing Reiki Along

I will of course be making this a spiritual journey since Reiki is such a strong part of my life. Reiki will be right along with me the whole time. I have already started by cleansing and blessing my juicer and the food I’m using for the prep. Sometimes I bless it right there in the check out line at the market or health food store and sometimes I wait until I get home. I will be meditating each day as often as possible to hold my intentions for the cleanse strong and with intention. I’m still a full-time mom with kids home for the summer, talk about challenges. So, I’ll be preparing food for them while making juice and salads for myself. I’ll need meditation and Reiki to help me with my willpower and staying true to my goals. And, I’ll be blogging here as often as possible to let you know how the experience is going.

Me practicing juicing my first week. A total newbie.

I pray that some day, someone will be interested in juicing, find this blog and it will help them to do it too, or to stay motivated though their adventure. I have a lot of support and I’m grateful for that. Thank you to all of my friends, clients and family members who are supporting me through this process daily in whatever way they can. Loving comments are always welcome and I do my best to comment back to everyone so check back.

“A Sensitive System” is the first in a series of blogs written by Josslyn Streett of Rain Shadow Reiki for her series on nutritional healing and juicing.

Do you ever wonder why some people can eat anything they want and not gain weight? Why some people can smoke and drink and still live into their 80’s or 90’s? Or why others can do such stressful jobs and not look stressed ALL the time? I have wondered these things all my life. That is because I am the opposite of those ways. I look at food and gain weight, seriously. Once it’s on it’s very difficult to get it off. I feel frazzled and stressed out almost all the time and my body can’t handle bread let alone alcohol. So what is the difference between these people? I’m still working at answering that question completely. Yes, some of it is genetics, but aren’t genetics just energy too? For me, some of the answer is, I’m different. Special. Blessed in a special way. My friend and mentor, Jill Raiguel says “We have been blessed with sensitive systems. It is up to us to care for them.”

Over the years I’ve discovered that one of the reasons I’m so sensitive is because I’m clairsentient. Some of the signs of being clairsentient are:

Clairsentient people often feel like they don’t fit in anywhere, even in their own families.

In relationships do you find yourself with “emotionally unavailable” partners, probably ending up with the emotional work for two?

If any of these made sense for YOU then you may want to read the full-page on being clairsentient before continuing. I am clairsentient and have a great deal of experience in helping others to work with it, live with it and view it as a beautiful gift in their life every day. It is possible but it does take some dedication, practice and know how.

A New Beginning

And so it begins. I have been blessed with a sensitive physical body and have finally come to terms with it. Now what? What matters now is HOW to deal with the physical part. I’ve learned how to work with the energetic part and the psychic part, it is my physical bodies’ turn and it is crying out loud for it. My main current physical bodily symptoms are:

Migraines are extremely painful. Mine always come with the throwing up part too.

I have heard about psychics who rarely even leave their homes because they have so many allergies to chemicals, fragrances, the energy of being around so many people and foods, that being in public for them is dangerous and simply not worth the chance of a break out. I always considered myself lucky that I’m not THAT sensitive. Hey, I can still shop at the grocery store, right!? I must be o.k. But, I do believe I’ve been a bit in denial about it. Because you know what, I am pretty darn close to that, sensitivity wise. I can eat whatever I want if I don’t mind the migraines, the total lack of energy and memory, depression and mood swings. Thus, I eat what my body wants and not what I want. Luckily I’ve found that by eating what my body wants, my taste buds quickly change and soon enough I want it too. It all works out.

Raising your energetic vibration

Eating in a Higher Vibrational Frequency

Eating is one of the things that has been the biggest challenge for me and the higher I raise my vibrational frequency with Reiki, meditation and working through my past issues, the more sensitive I am to the lower energy foods. When talking this over with my Medical Intuitive, Candia Sanders, she said the goal is to raise your vibration to such a level that you are then ‘above’ the sensitivities and they no longer bother you. You become immune in a vibrational way. Raised above, so to speak. I have yet to reach this elevated station and thus, continue to give up foods that I can no longer tolerate in hopes of someday getting to it.

We Are All the Same, We Are All Unique

I believe everyone is different, every body is different and therefore what is not good for me is different from what is not good for someone else. I do not ever expect anyone to live life the way I do but I hope to encourage anyone who reads this to live the life that is best for them. Listen to YOUR body. Find out what YOUR body wants and DO IT. This is a story about me doing that and making it through the hard parts to the other side so that you and everyone who reads this can know that it is totally possible and doable.

I am definitely not a saint.Saint Lucy

I Am No Saint! Where’s the Beef?

Saying that, I’ll also tell you, I am no saint. I love all the things I’m not supposed to love; meat, alcohol, bread, pasta (deserves its own category) cheese (really love cheese), sugar and more. I am, pretty much a lover of food overall so giving up foods I love one after another for the past eighteen years has not been any easier for me than it would be for anyone. The first food I had to give up was red meat; beef and pork. Years of IBS in my twenties was enough to tell me it was not good for me and time to give it up. I have not had a beef hamburger for over 17 years. I miss them from time to time, usually when my family is eating them, but really, overall, it’s not a big deal. I rarely think about it.

Migraines Will Convince Anyone

A year and a half ago I started getting migraines if I ate sugar, wheat or soy. I thought I would die, both with the migraines AND knowing that I’d have to give up wheat, soy and sugar all at the same time. I had been mainly gluten-free at home for many years but ‘cheated’ when I went out. No more cheating. With some help from my Naturopath, I gave them all up and have had very few cravings for at least a year.

Next Adventure

So, my next challenge and adventure to improve my vibrational system and my health is to give up dairy. I have cut it back, way back, from how much I used to eat but that isn’t enough. I grew up on dairy, love dairy; milk, grilled cheese, cheese and crackers, quesadilla, mac and cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese!! I haven’t met a cheese I didn’t like, ever. It is my ultimate comfort food, my emotional go to food and I do not want to say goodbye forever. But, I will. My body has been giving me messages that it is time. Time to give up all dairy from my diet. And, finally, I’m ready.

That is me as a little girl, loving me some grilled cheese sandwich. Mmmmmmmmm

It is my belief that YOU have to be ready or you won’t do it. For me to be ready it usually takes me hitting a wall, reaching bottom, being really sick before I’ll be ready. That’s because I have a really hard time with change. Reiki has been helping me slowly over the years and THIS year I have made leaps and bounds of change towards letting go and altering my life, my habits, BEFORE I have to. Yeah!! Big applause for me because this has been a tough one for me, holding on to everything to protect myself, yet hurting myself at the same time. This has been going on my entire life. Some of you know what I’m talking about and the rest of you probably think I’m crazy. Oh well, it won’t be the first time I’ve been called crazy, that’s for darn sure. So, my next adventure is here. A total and complete change of my eating system for the rest of my life, something extremely drastic for me, not only giving up dairy but also doing a complete fruit, vegetable and body cleanse. I will be detoxifying and clearing out my digestive system by eating 99% fruits and vegetables and juicing for one week.

I have noticed lately that the guides who come to help are a little different during readings, healings or attunements. I’m meeting guides I haven’t worked with or been introduced to before during readings. In many of these readings they simply FEEL different. These guides are combinations of guides of Universal energy, star energy combined with Earth elemental energy. When I talk to other psychics who do spirit guide readings I find that they are experiencing the same thing, especially among elemental or earth type spirit guides. I personally believe this means that as more and more of us truly BELIEVE in them again, they are waking up from their ‘lack of belief’ induced slumber and are ready to aid us in this new energy that is emerging and changing. I believe that when people stopped believing in fairies, mermaids, angels and even God, many of the elemental beings went into a deep sleep within the earth or in another dimension, ready to be reawakened as soon as they are needed again. Now is the time, they are reawakening. They are here once again to help, because WE are asking for their help. We are grateful for their help. The more they are needed, the more that will wake up to answer the call.

The Neck/Nix are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form.The German Nix are types of river merman and mermaid who may lure men to drown.Nixes in folklore became water sprites, who try to lure people into the water. The males can assume many different shapes, including that of a human, fish, and snake. The females are beautiful women with the tail of a fish. When they are in human forms, they can be recognised by the wet hem of their clothes. The Nixes are portrayed as malicious in some stories but harmless and friendly in others.(Source: paranormalnight)

Possibilities

It is time to open up to the possibility that everything we have read about, fairies, mermaids, water sprites, gnomes, leprechaun, Atlantis, etc. are all possible, are all truly here on an energetic level and want to help us save our earth and ourselves. They are not just a figment of our imagination, they are real on an energetic level and who knows what could happen if many people start believing again, they may be able to have the strength need and desire to be real on a physical level as well. I believe they once were a long time ago. I do not believe it is an accident that more than a few different ancient cultures all around the world have stories of mermaids, fairies and other ‘little’ people who come to help and be merry or create mischief.

Talking to fairies

Even though it’s easy for me to believe because I talk to them, see them and work with them daily, they are as real to me as the internet is to you. But, I have always believed. I never stopped believing as I grew from child to adult. Even in the pre-teen years and young adult years when I forgot about them, I still believed. Maybe not in the same way I do today, but I believed that there is way to much that is unexplained in the world, way to much magic in the world NOT to believe in something just because I hadn’t seen it. I was open to all good things being possible. That is all it takes to start. Open to the possibility that it could be true and if it is, you are open to EXPERIENCE them for yourself. Maybe I remembered somewhere in my soul that I had once talked with them, once played with them as a child. Somehow I kept that memory and that belief in magic and unseen things. You too have memories in your soul about spirit guides. You too can open your heart, stop being afraid of what people will think, what you think, if you believe in unseen things. What have you got to lose? Nothing, nothing at all.

Here are some fairies found in “The secret sketchbooks of Brian Froud”. Brian Froud is one of my favorite fairy artists. He has many beautiful books on fairies, good and bad.

Open your heart and your mind

It is time to open our hearts and our minds both, to POSSIBILITIES!! The possibility that maybe we don’t know everything. The possibility that maybe we don’t have to ‘see’ something in order for it to be real. The possibility that science cannot explain everything that exists. The possibility that maybe dreams do come true and maybe we can manifest everything we need and maybe we can live in harmony with each other and our planet without feeling a lack in our hearts ever. Maybe World Peace is a possibility! The more we all open our hearts to good things, new things, ‘CRAZY’ things, the more crazy will be the norm. I take great pride in being thought of as not ‘normal’ whatever that is, would you like to join me!!?

Water Sprite emerging from the water

I invite you to call me for a spirit guide reading. I invite you to come to a Reiki class and FEEL the energy for yourself. EXPERIENCE your personal Reiki guides on the first day. I invite you to learn how to meditate so you don’t need me to FEEL the presence of your personal guides. Are you ready to truly BLOW your mind? Are you ready to truly OPEN YOUR BOX to a much larger size? I’m here and ready to help you when you are. It’s an awesome ride and I wouldn’t live this life on earth without it. I need magic in my life to be able to see the true rainbow of colors and adventures that are available to us here. Don’t you need magic in your life, real magic?

Welcome back Spirit Guides

“Where Moonbeams FallIn the soft muted colours of the night, the ethereal fairy dances among the moonbeams, scattering stardust in her play. Serenity and inner joy are reflected in the radiance of her expression and the lightness of her fairy ballet as she dances in communion with the universe.” By Josephine Wall

Josslyn Streett is a Reiki Master/Teacher/Psychic reader and mom. If you would like a reading over the phone with her you may contact her at rainshadowreiki@gmail.com or 360-460-7829

Saturday we had another Kids Reiki class. Six children and their Reiki adults celebrated Divine Source Energy by learning about Reiki, the history of hands on healing and Reiki, Reiki spirit guides and animal guides, feeling energy, meditation, chakras, auras and much more. Thank you to Tim, Jerica, Josiah, Lilly, Kayella and Makena for being so brave and loving as they learned something totally new.

Reiki kids excited about Reiki history!

Divine Source, God, Great Spirit and much more

We started the day talking about all the different names there are around the world for God and how they need to trust their own intuition to know what name feels right to them and their families. The kids did their very first meditation to find their safe place and then each one shared what their safe place looked like to them. Many of them saw power animals and spirit guides at their safe place. I was encouraged with how well they did for their first time and how much they seemed to enjoy it.

The Reiki kids wrapped colored bandanas all around Amy to learn the location and color of each of the seven major chakras.

Chakra Rainbows

During our chakra and aura lesson we learned about the healing effects of color and how their energy is a rainbow of colors. As an example we wrapped colored bandanas around my special Reiki helper, Amy Meyers, to show them the colors of each chakra and the placement. It was a blast.

Magic Eye Art Project

Jerica with her magic eye art, beautiful!

While I did the individual attunements my Reiki assistants, Amy Meyers and Lauren Holloway both led a Magic Eye art project. The kids made an almost, full sized mirror image of themselves using their magic eyes. They closed their eyes to ‘see’ what they look like energetically and then created it on a large piece of paper with glitter, stickers, cut out pieces of paper, tissue paper, crayons and more. As you can see from the photos they were extremely creative as well as intuitive.

Reiki I Attunements

While the kids worked on the art projects I was in the Reiki room doing attunements and Reiki guide readings. Each child choose to be attuned to Reiki and each one had a different experience during the attunement. Some felt tingles, some felt heat, some felt flowing or rocking movement while they were being attuned and some said they just felt love. I appreciate how everyone feels and reacts to the energy differently.

Makena loves elephants and saw them as her power animal

Every attunement is different for me as well. With some the energy comes in fast and ready like the child, some comes in slow and hesitant, others calm and peaceful, others come in happy and joyful, but each one feels full of love and creates a very humble feeling of gratitude in me. I often tear up or even cry because I feel so incredibly grateful that Divine Source has entrusted this mission to me. I feel so small in comparison and yet so spiritually powerful at the same time. It is the most amazing feeling to give a Reiki attunement and especially to children.

With children I can often see or feel the immenseness of the ‘mission’ they have ahead of them in this life and feel how spiritually powerful THEY are. These kids are amazing. They have a big purpose in this life and a lot to do to prepare themselves. I feel genuinely honored to be a small part of teaching these children about energy, our Divine and spiritual guides so they hopefully never lose that sense of wonder and that belief that miracles really are possible. They will so need that as they grow up in this world and doing their best to create positive change. It’s a huge calling and each time I do an attunement on a child, I am reassured that we are in good hands, that they are truly ready for this task ahead. A truly brilliant feeling. Working with these amazing kids helps my faith grow each and every time. What a blessing.

Kayella with her magic eye art, she saw birds as her power animal.

Feeling the Energy

After the attunement we practice FEELING the energy and healing with the Reiki. Each child and adult makes an energy ball in their hands until they can feel the pressure of something there, something between their hands that is invisible but tangible at the same time. Some say it feels hot, some tingly, some like a worm crawling in their fingers, but they all feel it. Then we combine our energy balls and the children took turns standing in the middle of them inside one huge ball of Reiki. That is always a highlight. Sometimes we sing beautiful songs to help the energy feel stronger. The more joy you feel the more the energy runs and the more likely you are to feel it on your body. This is one of the kids favorite exercises and we do it as often as we can at Kids Reiki circle.

Perfect End to a Perfect Day

Each child receives a Reiki I certificate just like my adult students do but the kids’ certificates have gold stars on them. They are cool!

We handed out the certificates and the kids went home. I always remind the Reiki adults that it is up to them to continue the Reiki training at home and support their Reiki kid by practicing with them as well as bringing them back once a month to Kids Reiki Circle. Reinforcement and practice is key to each Reiki kid being confident in their practice and learning of energy. I’m so excited to see where each of these kids go with their Reiki path. The options are endless.

Love and Light to all of you wonderful Reiki kids, their parents and my Reiki helpers. Thank you to each of you for entrusting me to this very important task!

If you are interested in your child taking a Kids’ Reiki class in the Sequim, WA area please call or email me and we’ll plan a class together. If you are not in the Olympic Peninsula area but want to find a Kids’ Reiki class try Barbara McKells‘ website or talk to a Reiki Master in your area about starting a kids class. Spread the word that Reiki and Kids go together better than peanut butter and jelly!

rainshadowreiki@gmail.com or 360-460-7829

Josslyn Streett, Reiki Master/Teacher and mom to two boys and a whole world of children

(Low sugar and gluten-free cranberry cookie recipe at the bottom of the page)

A few days ago I wrote a blog called ‘Just Like Sugar®’ Chocolate Chip Cookies. I do not eat chocolate or sugar so even though I made them and ate them, I had made them for the kids with the chocolate. I decided I wanted a cookie that I can eat for real. I’m experimenting with a new product that a client of mine brought to me, Just Like Sugar®. Read the first blog to find out about ‘Just Like Sugar®’ for yourself and another blog in the comment section that has written about as well and tells a bit about how the company discovered and created the product.

To make a long story short, the cranberry cookies are just as delicious as the chocolate chip cookies especially if you cannot have chocolate or sugar but you can have cranberries. Bottom line, I’d use it to bake over and over again. Sawyer, my nine-year old son even liked them better than the chocolate chip cookies and he LOVES sugar of any kind.

Aftertaste

I did not taste an aftertaste like many commenters on Amazon and other blogs talk about with the baked cookies. However, when I tested the batter before baking I did taste a bit of an after taste AND when I used it in my tea as well. It was not distasteful to me but I can see how some people said it had an after taste. The baking somehow takes care of that from what I experienced.

For more information about Just Like Sugar® please go to my first blog

Reiki your recipes

Reiki or pray over anything that you take into your body for a healthier outcome. Blog coming soon on ‘Reiki your food’ !

Before baking with Just Like Sugar® I muscle tested myself and my assistant as I had the client who brought it in to me in the first place, to see if our bodies “liked” the product. We all tested positive for the Just Like Sugar® product. We had the green light to go ahead with out baking experiment. We also did Reiki over the batter before baking the cookies to assure the best energy and nutrition possible. Reiki your food!!

Delicious!!

Cranberry nut cookies

Totally non-biased kid ratings

Sawyer (Age 9) and my baking assistant, said “These are even better than the other ones. I like the cranberries even better than the chocolate chips!” He rated the cookies a 10 out of 10!

Success!

The second experiment was a success as well. We LOVE the cranberry macadamia nut cookies and we will bake them again.

(Low sugar and gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe and kid approved ratings at the bottom of the blog)

The ONLY sugar in these is in the chocolate chips! Find out HOW. Read on……

Note: This blog write up is not paid for by any companies. This is my choice to bake and rate these products, a totally non-biased, non- paid opinion. If either of these companies would like to pay me for a testimonial please, I’d be happy to oblige, feel free to contact me via my email! Although, it looks like I have already done it here for free. Oh well, Never mind.

SUMMER IS HERE!!

Summer is here, my boys are out of school and I am a mom FULL time again! The blogs may change a bit because my blog is simply a mirror of my life and what’s going on in that moment.

Baking Fun!

Sawyer is an early riser so we have some time together to do projects in the summer without big brother around. Not the government big brother, HIS big brother. “Hmmm, I wonder if these will taste good?”

Yes, summer is here but in the Pacific North West it is still in the high 50’s and low 60’s with gray. So, excellent time to bake!! I love to bake and I love experimenting with new recipes. I change the recipes a lot since I do not eat any sugar, gluten or soy in my daily diet and have to change most recipes to suit my body’s desires. I have not had a desert for over a year and a half. I have gotten used to this and am happy 99% of the time having fruit in place of desert. However, now and then, it would be nice to have a cookie or some other yummy desert. So, I’m experimenting with a new product that a client of mine brought to me, Just Like Sugar®.

Just Like Sugar®

Just Like Sugar ingredients

On the package for Just Like Sugar® it says, all natural, gluten-free, zero carbs, zero calories, diabetic and celiac safe, no soy, no yeast, no animal derivatives, no “MSG”, no L-Glutamic Acid, no D-Glutamine Acid, no Aspartic Acid, no preservatives or dairy. It is not organic but you can take care of that with Reiki. (A blog coming on that topic soon! Reiki your food!)

Just Like Sugar’s® ingredients are chicory root dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin C, natural flavors from the peel of the orange and that is it!

Just Like Sugar® costs more and you need to use more than sugar because it is not nearly as sweet. But is still very good and for people like me who have changed their taste buds by not eating any sugar, it is plenty sweet! I bought a 16 oz bag of Just Like Sugar from Amazon for about $14 with free shipping. The recipe below used almost one cup of the product.

Sugar cane to Just Like Sugar®conversion chart

Sugar to Just Like Sugar®

1 t = 1 -3/4 t

1T = 1 -3/4 T

1/8 C = 1/4 C

1/4 C = 7/16 C

1/2 C = 7/8 C

2/3 C = 1 -1/4 C

1 C = 1 -3/4 C

Gluten Free

Our favorite gluten-free baking mix!

I am not celiac but I am gluten-free because my body prefers that. Therefore, my recipe also uses a gluten-free flour by my favorite brand, Pamela’s Products. I used the basic recipe for chocolate chip cookies off of the bag of Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix and then tweaked it a bit. I bought it at Amazon for $44.61 for 3, 4 pound bags with free shipping. We use this for all baking, pancakes and waffles mostly. YUM!

I did not change out the chocolate chips, even though they have sugar, because my kids love them and since they are so incredibly deprived of eating “normal” kid food (LOL) I kept them in for this recipe. I also wanted to keep the recipe as much to the original recipe the first time and then alter it more from there. In the future, I will use something else that I can eat to replace the chocolate, like cranberries or raisins.

Reiki your recipes

Reiki or pray over anything that you take into your body for a healthier outcome. Blog coming soon on ‘Reiki your food’ !

Before baking with Just Like Sugar® I muscle tested myself and my assistant as I had the client who brought it in to me in the first place, to see if our bodies “liked” the product. We all tested positive for the Just Like Sugar® product. We had the green light to go ahead with out baking experiment. We also did Reiki over the batter before baking the cookies to assure the best energy and nutrition possible. Reiki your food!!

Delicious!!

For this first time using Just Like Sugar®, I really just wanted to know if it tasted good or not and would I use it again. IT DOES!! The cookies are DELICIOUS and I would totally bake with it again. Here are the results from my very picky kids and neighbor kids.

Totally non-biased kid ratings

Note: None of the kids tried the cookies at the same time as the other kids. I did not want anyone else influencing their words and ratings.

Sawyer (Age 9) and my baking assistant, said “Mmmmmmm, Delicioso!” and many other great adjectives that I can’t remember but went on the entire time he was eating his cookies. He rated the cookies a 9 out of 10!

Robby (age 11 1/2) said “Delicious” and rated it a 7 out of 10 because it tasted really good but was more flaky then he likes.

Neighbor Tim (11 1/2) rated the cookies a 7 out of 10 and said they were very good!

Neighbor Josiah (8 1/2) said “scrumptious!” and rated the cookies a 9 to 10 out of 10!

Adult Josslyn who has lived without desserts for a year and a half, 10 out of 10!

Success!

Mmmmmmmm, delicioso!!

The experiment was a SUCCESS!! I will most definitely bake with Just Like Sugar® again with my other favorite recipes and share them with you! A lot of people on Amazon and other websites talked about an after taste. With the cookies I did not taste any lingering after taste.

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”Margaret Mead

A Spiritual Group

I was recently asked to be a part of a spiritual group that meets from time to time via conference call and once a year at an agreed upon location on the west coast usually. It is a big commitment but also I felt it was a huge honor to be asked. This group includes people of many different spiritual belief systems from all over the country.

The more people in a spiritual group, the more powerful the energy, connection to the energy and connection to Divine Source!

Priorities

Because I’m a mom first at this stage in my life by choice, I asked my family if they were willing to support me in the time it would take away from them, extra to the Reiki time that I spend with clients and circles. They are very supportive of my passion for energy healing and helping others and know how much it means to me to be a part of this group of honored people which includes Shaman’s, energy workers, other Reiki Masters and more spiritually like-minded people.

Meditations

I’ve been with the group a month now and have participated in four conference calls so far. On the conference call I attended yesterday, June 6th 2012 for the astrological events happening with Venus, we all meditated together on the phone with the intention of a group healing for us as well as a healing for our earth.

Group Energy Amped Up

Kid’s Reiki Circle, before practicing Reiki we do our “Gassho” which is asking Divine Source to be with us and to send down the Reiki energy.

The energy in my Reiki room is great all the time because I focus on it a lot with the intention of healing energy and high vibrational Love and Light energy. But with the group of spiritually minded people on the phone all with the same purpose, I felt the energy stronger than I had in a long time. Probably since another group meditation that I had done with a very large group of people many years ago. I felt the energy of each person in the room with me. The energy gets amped up the more people we have all with the same intention. It was decidedly powerful.

A Message

I got a clear message from Divine Source while in that meditative state. Divine wants us to meet in collections of spiritual people and do this spiritual work together. Divine wants us to meditate, do Reiki, pray, learn, cry and support each other as often as possible in groups. This is the way to change our world, this is the way to raise our vibrations faster, sooner. This is how to truly make a difference in our lives, the earth and everyone around us, by connecting in groups of like-minded individuals consistently. This is why I offer the Reiki circles twice a month and to children too, because I truly believe and have for a long while that the true way to make a difference in our world of reality is to work together in small, local grassroots types of organizations like our own little Reiki group here in Sequim, WA.

Where? How?

Find a colorful group that you feel comfortable in that has the same values and spiritual beliefs, then participate actively in your own evolution.

If you do not live on the Olympic Peninsula, then find a group in your area to join. Put the intention out to Divine Source that you want such a group. Look for a Reiki Master in your area and ask if they run such a group. Meanwhile, find an on-line group to be a part of. Join a Reiki Facebook page (Josslyn Streett, Reiki) or other social networking site that consistently has a positive high vibrational and up lifting message and be a part of it. Put yourself out there, try something new even if you are a little scared. I believe you will find that your evolution goes faster, but will also be more rich and fulfilling along the way with spiritual friends along for the ride.

I often find other blogs or articles that say for me what I want to say but can’t seem to put into words. I found this wonderful, easy to read and well written article about WHY to join a spiritual group, what to look for in a gathering and some tips on starting one of your own if spirit encourages you to do so. Well worth the time to read it.

The truism that no person is an island applies in the spiritual arena even more than it does in the material. From the most ancient times, people have gathered in groups and communities to engage in spiritual practices addressing the Source of life, the Ineffable hidden beyond our senses. Monasteries and other spiritual communities bring seekers together to live in a protected and conducive environment. In lay or non-monastic environments, the work of the congregation, the sangha, the minyan, and the halka offer spiritual brotherhood and sisterhood within the context of life in the greater community.

Why has this always been the case? Primarily because the spiritual community or group multiplies, empowers, and reinforces the efforts of the individual. Meditation, prayer and other practices, when pursued in a group or community, qualitatively and quantitatively magnify what each person can offer and experience. The coalescence of the group into a shared will and shared consciousness in communal practice creates a greater spiritual whole that enhances individual possibilities. The vehicle of the spiritual group or community carries all its individual participants to far greater spiritual depths than they could typically reach on their own. The group serves as a container for energies and as a reminder of the sacred. Each person in the group or community helps all the others by their very presence and by their orientation toward the Divine, toward love.

In business and other life endeavors, people form alliances and partnerships to create much more than they possibly could by themselves. In the spiritual endeavor, the same holds. We can join forces, share our hearts’ search for the spirit, and help each other climb the mountain of transformation.

Nevertheless, spiritual groups and communities often succumb to pitfalls. Some principles to consider in the work of a spiritual group or community include the following.

1. Equality in Relation to the Divine

In the most basic sense, we are all beggars and beginners in the spiritual path. In the face of Divinity, we are all equal, equally children of the Will of the World. This bedrock principle must pervade the work of any spiritual group. Elders, teachers and those with more experience of the path, if their inner work has been rightly conducted, will, through their genuine humility and respect for others, exhibit an implicit assumption of equality in all their relationships, including with people in the spiritual group or community. We all serve the same Source.

2. Shared Vision

For a group to function well, the members must agree on the path and methods to be studied and followed. Without some commonality of technique and direction, the group will (or should) be short-lived.

3. Peer Group Versus Having a Leader

The question of leadership in a spiritual group raises complex and difficult issues. If there is to be a leader, it must be someone with consistently deeper experience in the path than the rest of the group; otherwise the leaderless peer group offers a more appropriate form. Kindness and non-attachment form two more qualities required in a group leader. Without these, history teaches us that spiritual leaders tend to grow abusive, emotionally, sexually, and financially, or they demand loyalty to themselves and their particular path rather than loyalty to the Divine and to the great community of all life. The leader must inspire trust in his or her goodwill, and confidence in his or her wisdom and knowledge of the path. Condescension, a patronizing attitude, an air of being special, abuse of power, arrogance, and insults do not characterize an effective spiritual leader, regardless of the pious justifications and excuses offered for such behavior. The essence of the role of the spiritual mentor is to share his or her passion for the path and to instill confidence in the possibility of realization.

More subtly, we can look at the leader’s role in terms of the three aspects of will: active, passive, and reconciling or synergistic. The great temptation of a spiritual leader is to play an active role, with the students being passive or receptive to the leader’s lead. This causes many, hard-to-recognize problems. It feeds the leader’s ego, as do the group members by fawning over him or her. Then the group builds an ego around the leader, instead of fostering humility. It robs initiative from the group members, for whom initiative in their own inner work is crucial. The group members become dependent upon the leader’s judgments of them, on the leader’s criticism or praise. This stifles real progress. A truly effective group fosters freedom and individuality in the group members, an individuality that forms the basis of service and surrender to the Divine.

The alternative to the active leader is the reconciling or synergistic leader, neither active nor passive, but both and more. Such a leader, in his or her being and in his or her teaching, points the way toward the Sacred, while leaving room for the group members to be active and work from their own initiative. The qualities of humility, lightness of touch, and non-judging, as well as a deep understanding of the spiritual path and a living, thriving connection to the Sacred characterize the ideal leader.

The leaderless peer group can operate by consensus. If the group spends time speaking about experiences and efforts in the path, then what each person shares must be treated with respect. If the members of the group analyze, criticize, offer advice, or make suggestions in response to another member, they risk poisoning the atmosphere of the group. For honesty and sincerity to prevail, an environment of trust and respect must be developed and protected. Peer group members should limit what they share to relating their own experiences and efforts, and not stray into playing the spiritual mentor. No one can do the spiritual work of another. Guidance, to be effective, must be asked for, not offered gratuitously. In a peer group, guidance can come from hearing the efforts, successes, and failures of the other members of the group.

Both forms, the peer group and the led group, have their place and can greatly accelerate the inner work of the members of the group. In the earlier stages of the path, having a leader offers important benefits. In the first years, we need to be taught the methods by someone who understands them. We need to be nudged back onto the path when we stray. We need to recognize the limits of our own understanding and be willing to ask for and receive guidance. This promotes humility and insulates us from that bane of spiritual work: arrogance. We also need confirmation of our understanding, so our confidence and self-reliance can grow. However, a led group requires a leader with the characteristics described above. Lacking such a person, the peer group can be an excellent alternative.

4. Frequency of Gathering

Living in a genuine spiritual community that works and practices together confers the blessings of a powerful, traditional way toward the spirit. Few of us, though, exhibit a willingness to become monks or nuns. Furthermore, living full-time in a spiritual community does not constitute the best approach for everyone. It depends on one’s temperament and style.

Retreats convey the advantages of life in a spiritual community on a temporary basis. Periodic retreats, in which we focus entirely on the work of presence, deepening awareness, and opening our heart, can prove enormously beneficial in reinvigorating our inner work.

In our normal life situation, a weekly group meeting, attended regularly, offers an external reminder, a source of energy, and a shared commitment, enabling us to maintain our practice in the face of life’s many distractions and pressures. In certain respects, this creates the ideal circumstance. We need great determination to continuously return to our practice in the midst of family, job, community, and other responsibilities. Life becomes our training ground. If our spiritual practice can flower within the challenge of normal life, our practice will grow strong indeed, our hearts open, and our lives transformed.

Practice in the special environment of a retreat or a spiritual community can usher us into deep experiences, tastes of the true spirit. Yet when we return to our normal life, those experiences gradually fade, while thankfully leaving a residue of purification and commitment. Practice in everyday life, however, can bring lasting transformation. Daily progress may not be as dramatic and rapid as during a retreat, but can be more permanent. Gradually, the path and our life merge, so that our life is our path, carrying us toward the opening of our hearts and the Great Source of All.

5. The Structure of the Group Meeting: Practice and Sharing

The spiritual group, to be effective, devotes time to both shared practice and shared discussion. A group which does not meditate, pray, or engage in some other collective spiritual practice misses the remarkable opportunity. Discussion alone, even of the most profound, heartfelt and weighty topics, rarely touches our soul. Discussion alone does not serve the transformation of energies and the purification of will in the way that shared practice can.

Group practice alone, however, may not illumine certain valuable details of the path. For this, the group needs shared discussion. The discussion, though, must not be solely theoretical: it should focus on the details of practice, how one actually practices, what obstacles one encounters, what helps, what experiments one tries, what new insights come, and so forth. If each person in the group describes such living details of their own spiritual efforts, every person in the group benefits thereby. Everyone can relate what the speaker articulates to their own life and path. A theoretical discussion of ideas rarely has such an impact.

Like every individual, each spiritual group or community is unique, and will have its own style, its own lifecycle. But all genuinely spiritual groups and communities support the transformation of their members and enable them to serve in a deeper way than would be possible on their own. If we are fortunate enough to participate in a spiritual group that suits our needs and our taste, well and good. If not, perhaps we can find one other person to share our practice with, forming a group of two. Otherwise, we do our best to pursue our spiritual practice on our own: for this also is possible and necessary. No one else can free us; no one else can do our inner work for us. But we can help each other.

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In Love and Light of the Divine, Welcome to my website/blog where I share ideas on how to live a more spiritual life using Reiki and other spiritual tools and techniques. I help private clients like you break through blockages keeping them from moving forward on their spiritual path.Josslyn Streett, Reiki Master/Teacher, Intuitive Spiritual Healer/Reader